The Darkest Hour is Just Before the Dawn
by ScalePhoenix14825
Summary: Allyson Wayne is the illegitimate daughter of Bruce Wayne. She left Gotham after the Batman took the fall for Harvey Dent, but returned 8 years later only to find her father has gone back out in the night. She goes to the officer who convinced her dad to go back out there and confronts him. J.Blake/OC
1. Chapter 1

**If you've read my other story, The Star Chance, I've used the same name for my OC, but she is not the same person. I just found it easier for myself to keep the same character than to try and create a new one. Some of the characteristics and appearance is the same, but as I said before, they aren't the same person.**

**Background Information**  
I would just like to give some background information on this story before I get a bunch of messages asking what the hell is going on. Okay, so, when Bruce left Gotham, he did a little traveling.

During his travels, he went to Greece and formed a relationship with a woman there. He spent three years there when the woman had a child. The woman became sick and died, leaving Bruce alone with the child. Worried that he wouldn't be able to provide for himself and his 3 year old daughter-Allyson, he got hold of Alfred and had her sent to Gotham to be raised by his old friend.

She would occasionally get letters from her father telling her about his travels and telling her that he loved her. She wasn't able to write back because he never stayed in one place for too long. She would always ask when her dad would come home and Alfred would wrap her in his arms and tell her he didn't know.

Allyson grew up as normal as she could, but was always expected to live up to her father's name. She was always known as the illegitimate child of billionaire Bruce Wayne. On her 12th birthday, the letters from her father stopped.

Three years later, he showed up back in Gotham. He was a different man then she had remembered as a little girl. He wasn't the light of her world anymore. After he started fighting crime, she felt like she didn't know him anymore. He became someone completely different. She loved him, but not like she had as a child.

When she was 17, after the Batman took the fall for Harvey Dent's death and she had graduated, she left Gotham. Left the U.S. all together.

**Chapter One  
Third Person POV**  
Allyson stood in front of the doors of the Wayne mansion. It had been 8 years since she had left home. She had gone back to Greece, only to find that her mother had had no living relatives. After the disappointment in Greece, she went to London, Paris, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

She spoke with Alfred every weekend and he would update her on how her father was. She felt sorry for him. He had lost the one woman he had truly loved. She had no idea if he loved her mother or if he stayed with her because she had been born.

She sighed and threw the thoughts from her mind. Shaking her head, she checked her watch, 9:30 pm. Hefting her bag higher on her shoulder she took a deep breath and rand the door bell. She waited a moment before she heard footsteps coming towards the door.

Alfred opened the door and the scowl that had been there before was replaced with a wide bright smile. "Alfred!" she said, throwing her arms around the butlers neck. "It's wonderful to see you again, Ally." he said, wrapping his arms around the small girl.

After a moment, Allyson let go. "Alfred, are you crying?" she asked, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "Of course not. I'm just surprised you showed up without any kind of notice." he told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her inside.

"Well, I thought it was time to head back home." she told him.

"Well, I'm glad you decided to come back home." he said, giving her shoulders a little squeeze. Allyson smiled. They were both avoiding the question that was at the front of their minds. "I like to think he's getting better." Alfred said, answering her unasked question.

"I hope so." she sighed.

Alfred squeezed her shoulder again. "Why don't you head up to your room and get settled down? Then you can come down to the kitchen and you can tell me all about your little tour across Europe."

"Sounds good to me. I defiantly need a minute or two to relax." she admitted, laughing lightly. Alfred kissed the top of her head and let her go. "It's good to have you back home, Ally."

Allyson smiled and made her way through the house to her old bedroom. She paused before opening the door. 8 years since she had last been in her room. She wondered if they had kept it the same.

She bit her lip and turned the knob. She smiled when everything was exactly the same as she had left it. She walked in and threw her bag on the four poster king sized bed and ran her hand over the bedding.

The dark blue silk felt wonderful under her fingers and made her want to crawl in bed and never get out. Pushing my desire of sleep away, I went to my bag and started to pull everything out.

Taking out the dirty clothes, she threw them in the basket next to her closet door. Taking out the clean ones, she sorted and placed them in her dresser. Before closing her shirt draw, the picture of her and Alfred caught her eye.

She closed the drawer and picked the picture up off the top of her dresser. Running her thumb over the old photo. She was 8 in the photo and she had just gotten back from the first and only summer camp she had ever been to.

She hadn't changed much since she was a kid. Her hair was still jet black, a little shorter than when she was younger, about shoulder blade length. Her eyes, obviously, still deep blue, and her face was a little thinner now.

She smiled at the picture and placed it back on her dresser.

She pulled open her top door and pulled out a pair or black sweats and a white tank-top. Pulling her t-shirt and jeans off, she threw them into the basket also and pulled on her night clothes. Deciding to leave the rest of her things in her bad, she moved the bag from her bed and dropped it on her dest chair.

Taking one last look around her room, she smiled and went downstairs.

"I didn't think you'd actually come down. I thought you'd just go to bed." Alfred said, sitting at the kitchen island when Allyson came in. "I wasn't just going to leave you down here." she told him, hopping onto the counter.

They were quite for a moment before Allyson spoke up. "How is he? Really?" she asked, looking down at her hands in her lap. Alfred sighed and closed his eyes. "He went to speak with Commissioner Gordon yesterday at the hospital." he told her.

"Why was the Commissioner in the hospital?" Allyson asked, her head snapping up to look at the butler. Alfred told her about how Gordon had been found nearly dead near the sewers by an officer and was taken to the hospital. Then how said officer came to the mansion to confront her dad about the Batman.

"So that's why he's at the hospital." Allyson said, rubbing her temples.

"Who was the officer?" she asked. Alfred gave her a stern look. "Not going to happen, Ally." he said, crossing his arms. "What'd you mean?" she asked, looking up at Alfred. "I know you, Ally. You're just like your father. Once you get his name, you'll confront him. Now, it's getting late and I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be a long day." Alfred said, getting up to leave the kitchen.

"His name's Blake. It's good to have you home, Ally." he said before leaving her alone in the kitchen. Allyson smiled to herself and jumped off the counter. She made her way back up to her room and sat at her desk.

She jumped a little when she heard a car pull up to the front of the house.

Getting up, she looked out the window to find her dad getting out of a cab. She felt a tug at her heart while she watched her father limp to the door and into the mansion. Sighing, she went back to her desk and turned on her computer. She logged onto the program she had designed for her dad that allowed him to search any name and their entire record would come up.

Typing in the name Blake, she groaned when over a thousand names showed up on the screen. She sighed in relief when she narrowed down the search to Gotham City. Now there were only about a hundred. Once she had some free time tomorrow, she'd find this Blake guy and give him a piece of her mind.

After printing off the names and addresses, she turned off her computed and slid into her bed. She smiled at the feeling of her old bed and fell asleep almost immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Third Person POV**

Allyson woke the next morning pretty early and groaned when she saw exactly how early. "Why would my body wake me up at 6:13? It couldn't have waited till at least 7?" she grumbled to herself, grabbing her glasses off her night stand and slipping them on her face.

She rolled out of bed and went over to her dresser. Deciding to just go with simple, she took out her favorite pair of jeans and a black v-neck shirt, one that Alfred always said would get her into trouble with all the cleavage. She threw them on the bed and went into her adjoining bathroom to take a shower.

When she got out, she wrapped an oversized towel around her body and blow-dried her hair. She went back into her room and got dressed. After she was fully dressed she went to her closet and opened the door.

She had never been a materialistic girl, but as she got older, she was expected to be a Wayne and live up to that name. Her walk in closet was filled with expensive dresses, shoes, jewelry, blouses, skirts, dress suits, and everything else that could have been thought of.

She went over to her shoe display and took out a pair of her converse. After slipping her shoes on, she went back into her room and looked at the clock again. "Much better." she said after seeing 7:04 on the display.

She went downstairs and went to the kitchen.

Alfred had woken up earlier than normal, so he went down to the kitchen to make some coffee. He was surprised when Allyson had come into the kitchen so early. "You're up early." he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, well, my mind decided it was time for me to be up." she complained, going over to the cabinet and getting down a cup. Alfred laughed a little and got up to help her. "Maybe your body isn't used to the time change." he suggested, handing her the sugar.

"Must be. Dad awake?" she asked, taking her cup and sitting at the island. "I believe so. He's in the Bat Cave, working on his leg." he told her, sitting back down next to Allyson at the island.

"I guess I'll pay him a little visit." she said coldly.

"He'll be glad to see you, Ally. He's still your father and he still loves you." Alfred said, trying to ease her discomfort. "Well, he's got a funny way of showing it." she said, drinking the last of her coffee and getting up to leave.

"You'll go down with me, right?" she asked before leaving. Alfred smiled and downed the last of his coffee as well. "Of course." he said. Allyson sighed in relief and waited for Alfred to make some coffee for her dad and they made their way to the piano room.

Allyson waited as Alfred unlocked the Bat Cave and followed him into the small elevator that would lead them down.

Alfred walked ahead of Allyson into the Bat Cave and waited while her dad fiddled with some kind of device. "Master Wayne, I know you've been busy with things, but there's someone here who'd like to see you." Alfred said, announcing their arrival.

"If it's that John kid again, I don't want to see him." he said, not even bothering to look up. Allyson sighed and stepped in front of Alfred. "I thought you'd at least be happy to see your daughter." she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Bruce looked up and dropped the device he was messing with. A small smile spread across his face as he stood up and limped over to his daughter. Allyson felt her heart shatter when the smile never reached his eyes.

She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around her fathers waist and buried her face in his chest when she felt tears start to form. Bruce wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her while she cried, burying his face in her hair as a few tears ran down his cheeks.

"I didn't think you'd come home." he said, hugging her a little tighter.

"I thought it was time to come home. I guess I picked the right time to come home." she said roughly into Bruce's shirt.

Allyson and Alfred watched as Bruce clamped the brace onto his right leg and pressed a blinking button on its side. A thin layer of padding cushioned the brace. He stood up and worked the knee, attempting deep knee bends and stretches.

It took some effort, but the brace moved with him smoothly, without riding up and down his leg. Alfred put down s thermos of hot coffee. "You've got it on the wrong leg, sir." Bruce shook his head. "You start with the good limbs," he explained, "so the brace learns your optimum muscle patterns."

He sat down on a slate cube and swapped the brace to his left knee. He rose cautiously, putting his weight on it, and grunted in satisfaction as the reinforced leg appeared to support him.

He bent slowly, then threw a kick at the empty air. A rare smile lifted his lips.

"Now we tighten it up." he said, pressing the button, clicking it again.

The brace contracted against his leg, the unyielding carbon fibers digging into his flesh. Grimacing, he gritted his teeth against the increased pressure. Alfred looked on with concern while Allyson was grinning.

"Painful?" Allyson asked, laughing a little.

"You're welcome to try it, Ally." Bruce responded.

"I'm good." she said, pushing herself off the ledge she was resting on. Bruce let out a howl as the brace clicked home. He took a moment to get used to the discomfort before rising to his feet again. "Not bad." he said.

"Well, now that you're up on your feet again, I have some things I need to do." she said as Bruce kicked the wall. "What kind of things?" he asked, going to sit back down on the slab. "Things." she said simply.

Alfred sent her a knowing look and she stuck her tongue out at him when Bruce turned his head. Alfred just laughed and went over to the computer. "I'll see you later." Allyson said, kissing the top of her dad's head and patting Alfred on the shoulder.

"Be careful." Bruce called as Allyson made her way back to the elevator. "Will do." she called back before shutting the elevator doors.

Allyson looked around the garage. She smiled when she saw exactly what she was looking for. She went over and ran her hand over the hood of her old mini cooper. It had been a birthday gift from Alfred on her 16th birthday.

Opening the door, she slid in and searched the visor for the keys. After the keys fell into her lap, she set them on the dashboard and pulled the papers she had printed the night before. She dug around in the glove compartment for a pen.

She pulled one out and began to cross of all the names that weren't _John Blake_. She paused at one name and circled it. She smiled and looked at the list. "Well, thank you dad for making this much easier than I thought it was going to be." she said to herself.

Crossing out all the names that weren't John Blake made the hundred names turn into about 20. She set the list on the passenger seat and entered the first address into the GPS.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Allyson's POV**

"Ugh! Could this get any more complicated!?" I complained, throwing my head back and hitting the head rest. I had already gone through all the names and none of them were the one I was looking for. Sighing, I glared at the paper and picked it up off the passenger seat.

There was one name left on it.

_Robin Jonathan Blake_

_Date of Birth: October 22, 1986_

_Age: 26_

_Occupation: GCPD_

"I guess it can't hurt anything to check it out." she said to herself and pulled away from the apartment building she had just been in.

**Third Person POV**

Allyson pulled up to a middle class apartment building and got out of her car. Glancing at the paper one more time, she folded it and put in her pocket. She pulled her coat a little tighter around herself. It was starting to get colder and she didn't like it.

She wrinkled her nose and made her way into the building. Luckily, Blake's apartment was only on the second floor, so she didn't even bother with the elevator. She made her way to the fourth door on the left and paused.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the wooden door.

John was laying on his small couch while the TV played some insignificant commercial. It was John's day off and he was falling asleep. He had been up late trying to figure out what was going on in the sewers.

After he pulled the Commissioner out of the sewer drains, he made a trip to visit Bruce Wayne, to try and convince him to come back into the crime fighting scene.

There was a knock on the door that caused him to jump and look at the door with a confused look. He sat up and got off the couch, stretching as he made his way to the door. He opened it and stopped abruptly.

_Wow_. he thought as he looked down at this women who was standing outside of his apartment. She had extremely dark hair that was up in a ponytail, dark blue eyes that were hidden behind a pair of thick black glasses, high cheekbones, and a small nose that her glasses perched on.

She was short, about 5'5'' and had a nice hourglass figure. The shirt was wearing showed off a nice amount of cleavage and her jeans formed around her hips nicely.

"Um...Can I help you?" he asked, shaking his head a little and blushing a little for letting his eyes wander.

"I'm looking for an Officer Jonathan Blake. Please tell me you're him." she said, laughing a little nervously. She felt her cheeks heat up as she looked over the young man who answered the door. He looked like a cop.

"Yeah. That's me." he said, giving her a small smile. "Good." she said, smiling back at him. "What can I help you with, ma'am?" he asked, leaning up against the door frame.

Allyson shook her head and told herself to be serious. "You went to speak with my father the other day. I want to know why." she said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking up at the young officer.

He gave her a confused look and Allyson sighed. "My father is Bruce Wayne. I'm Allyson Wayne." she clarified. His eyes widened and he looked at her closer. To his surprise, she looked like a younger female version of Bruce with a few differences. Like her eyes.

"Come inside." he said, glancing down the hall before moving out of the way to let her into his apartment. She walked in and waited for him. "I remember you now." he said, walking past her and shutting the TV off and sitting on the couch.

She sat in the chair next to him and waited for him to continue. "We went to school together. We were in the same gym class all through high school." he told her.

He paused before continuing. "You were the shy, quite girl who never talked with anyone." he said, remembering her usually being alone whenever they did group activities. He wasn't about to admit that he had had a crush on her for all of their 4 years of school together.

He blushed at the thought of how much she had changed. "So, um, what was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked, trying to get his mind off his teen thoughts. "You went to talk to my father the other day. What were you thinking?" she asked, looking up at him and he could see flecks of anger in her eyes.

"Gotham needs the Batman." he said quietly. Allyson shook her head, standing up and pacing. "Just because Gotham needs the Batman doesn't mean my dad need to risk his life for this godforsaken city." she said angrily.

John watched as she paced around his living room. "He doesn't owe this city his life." she said quietly. She stopped and looked at him. "You didn't see how the Batman was killing him not only physically, but emotionally." she said and he could see tears in her eyes. "And now, he's going back out there! Officer, I don't want to loose my father!" she exclaimed. He stood up and put a hand on her shoulder.

Just as he was about say something, his phone rang.

"Sorry." he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. He grimaced when he saw Foley's name. "I have to take this." he said roughly. "Blake." he said into the phone. There was a long pause before John hung up the phone and put it back into his pocket. "I'm sorry. There's something going on at the Stock Exchange and they need me there. I'm sorry." he said.

Allyson shook her head and headed for the door. "You don't understand what this is putting him through." she said and left him alone in his living room. John sighed and went into his room to change into his uniform.

Allyson made her way out to her car and unlocked the door. Sliding in, she sighed and hit her head lightly on the wheel a couple of times. This hadn't gone the way she had planned.

She had planned on finding the guy who had convinced her father to go back into the night and giving him a piece of her mind. Instead, she chickened out and almost poured her heart out to him. Luckily, his phone range before it went that far.

Wiping away the stray tears, she started her car and drove away from the apartment building.

John watched as the red mini cooper pulled away from his building. He sighed and put his gun in its holster. He grabbed his keys off the coffee table before walking out the door. He paused just as he stepped outside his door.

How the hell did she know where I lived? he thought to himself. He shook his head and made his way outside and into his squad car.

Allyson didn't really know where she was going until she was halfway to the hospital. She smiled to herself as she pulled into the parking lot and parked her car. She got out and locked her car. Before heading inside, she looked at the tall building.

It had been built after the Joker had blown up Gotham General Hospital.

Shaking off the memories, she walked into the hospital and up to the reception desk. "Hello, Ms. Can I help you?" the older women asked when Allyson stopped in front of it. "Um...yes. I'm looking for Commissioner Gordon's room."

"Your name, please." she said, moving to her computer. Allyson hesitated before answering. "Allyson Wayne, ma'am." she said. The women stopped what she was doing and looked up at the girl. "Well, Ms. Wayne, head up to room 342." Allyson smiled at the older woman and made her way to the elevator.

The ride to the 3rd floor was short and Allyson stepped off the elevator. She looked at the room numbers and followed them to room 342. She paused outside the door. She knocked 3 times and waited.

She heard a muffled '_come in'_ and she turned the knob to open the door.

She felt her heart break at the sight of Commissioner Gordon lying in the hospital bed. He looked so broken. She wanted nothing more than to run up to him and give him a hug and never let go.

"Ally? Is that you?" he asked, squinting to get a better look at the girl. "Hey, Jim." she said softly, going over to sit in the chair next to his bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Third Person POV**

"Ally, it's wonderful to see you again. When did you get back?" he asked, looking over at the young girl. Allyson smiled softly. "I got back last night. I would have come sooner...but I had some things I needed to do."

Jim looked at the young girl sitting in the chair and smiled. She had grown up a lot since the last time he had seen her. He had practically watched her grow up. He felt bad for the girl when Alfred had brought her here to Gotham without her father. She was so young and didn't understand what was going on.

He made sure to stop by the mansion every weekend to see her as she grew up. He felt she needed a father figure in her life. She had Alfred, but he was more of the grandfather type. He would take her out on the town with him sometimes when things weren't that dangerous and she loved riding in the patrol car.

She always told him she wanted to be a cop when she grew up. He smiled at the memory.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Don't worry about it. I haven't been up for visitors lately anyways." he told her. Allyson's brows furrowed. "If you want me to leave, I can." she said, getting up to leave. "No. Don't go. Your company is always welcomed." he said.

Allyson smiled and settled back down into her chair.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, placing a hand on his. Jim laughed a little and shook his head. "Like I've been shot." he said, causing Allyson to chuckle. "I'm sorry this happened to you." she said after a moment of silence.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Ally. It's not your fault." Jim said, giving her hand a light squeeze. Allyson shook her head and sighed. "If I had kept my promise, I would have been able to keep you safe." she said. Jim could see the pain in her eyes.

"You never promised anything." he said, pushing his glasses up onto his nose and giving her a stern look. Allyson shook her head. "I promised you I'd become a cop and work by your side." she said, tears filling her eyes.

"You were 10 when you made that promise." he said grinning at her.

"A promise is still a promise, Jim. No matter what the age." she said, smiling a little at the memory of her and Jim sitting in his patrol car after getting ice cream. She had promised him that she was going to become a cop and protect him.

Jim had only laughed and ruffled her hair, telling her she would make a good partner. Then he drove her home.

She never forgot that day. That was one her favorite memories from her childhood. At school, she was always the rich girl who no one wanted to be seen with. "Ally?" Jim asked, interrupting her thoughts.

She looked up at him and smiled.

A nurse rushed into the room then. "Sir, I think you should turn the TV on." she said. Jim reached over the table beside his bed and turned the TV. Allyson glanced outside to see that it was getting dark out. She looked back at the TV and frowned.

There was a huge car chase going on in downtown Gotham. She groaned to herself when she who they were chasing. The message scrolling across the screen didn't help the matter in the least.

**The Dark Knight Returns?**

Allyson shook her head and looked away from the TV. She just hopped her dad would make it home safe.

Allyson left the hospital after the news broadcast of the chase ended. She said her goodbyes to Jim, promising to come visit him the next day. She hugged him and left the room. Now she was driving up the rock driveway of the mansion and into the garage.

Putting the keys back in the sun visor, she got out and made her way into the mansion. She knew where her dad and Alfred were, but she wasn't in the mood to feel the disappointment she felt whenever her dad came back from a 'night out'.

Allyson made her way to her room. She shook off her jacket and hung it on the back of her desk chair, reaching into the pocket to pull out the paper from earlier. She crumpled it up and threw it into the trash can.

She groaned and ran her hands across her face. She collapsed onto her bed and laid there for what felt like hours. She sat up and stripped off her shirt and threw it into the hamper and stood up to do the same with her pants. Not even bothering with night cloths, she crawled back into bed and fell asleep quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry the last chapter was so short.**

**I just want to let you guys know that I'm only changing a few things from the story line at this point. 1. John gets promoted to detective first and then picks up Bruce and 2. I'm making it about 2 week after Batman makes a return that Alfred leaves and Bruce is alone. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Five**

**Third Person POV**

Allyson woke the next morning feeling terrible. She groaned and rolled over to glance at her clock. "At least it's not as early as yesterday." she said to herself. Her clock read 8:13 as she sat up and stretched.

She quickly showered and and got dressed in a simple light blue sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans. She slipped on her converse before heading downstair and into the kitchen.

"I see you've decided to sleep in this morning, Ms. Wayne." Alfred said, as he handed her a cup of coffee. "Well, I did have a pretty long day yesterday." she said, sitting down across from her father who looked like hell.

"How do you feel?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

Bruce looked up at his daughter and smiled sheepishly. "I guess it'll take some time to get back into the swing of things." he said with a grin. Allyson just rolled her eyes and took another sip from her cup.

An awkward silence broke out in the room and no one knew what to say. Allyson sighed and broke the silence. "I went to see Jim last night." she said, not bothering to look up from her cup.

Bruce looked up at his daughter with a confused look. "Why?" he asked.

Allyson looked up at him. "Because I was worried about him. He's going through so much right now, I thought he could use a friend who isn't worried about his career. Someone he can talk to freely with." she explained. "He needs a friend."

Bruce nodded his head and got up to leave. Allyson watched her father leave the room and she felt bad. Sometimes she felt that Jim had been more of a father than he had. And every time she had those thoughts, she felt her heart wrench.

"You had a call this morning, Ally." Alfred said after Bruce had left the room.

"Alfred, why do you call me Ms. Wayne when dad's around?" she asked, looking up at the older man. Alfred just chuckled. "The same reason I call him Master Bruce. It's professional." he told her.

"Whatever you say, Alfred. So, who's calling me this early in the morning?" she asked, drinking the last of her coffee going over to the sink. "Officer Blake called. He wants you to meet him at the police station around 3 this afternoon." Alfred told her, taking the cup from her just as she was about to wash it.

"I'm guessing you went to speak with him yesterday." he hinted, washing the cup.

"Yeah. Didn't go as I expected. He was called out to the Stock Exchange." she said, leaning up against the counter as she watched Alfred. Alfred chucked and put the cup away after he rinsed and dried the cup.

"Are you sure you didn't just chicken out?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking at the young women. "What'd you 'chicken out'? Why would I chicken out?" she defended, slightly offended.

Alfred chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders. He led her out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the library. "You've always had a soft spot for gentlemen with dark hair." he said, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.

Alfred chuckled when she blushed. Sitting down on the couch, he patted the seat next to him for her to sit. Allyson sat down and rested her head on Alfred's shoulder. "I didn't chicken out." she said softly. "I almost told him everything." she whispered, tears springing into her eyes.

Alfred put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "I almost told him everything, Alfred, and I don't understand why. Why after all these years was I going to spill everything to a man I've just only met?" she asked, tears streaming down her face.

Alfred stayed quite and let Allyson cry into his shoulder, much like she had when she was a child. After a while, her tears slowed down and she just sat there in Alfred's arms.

"I'm sorry, Alfred." she whispered, rubbing the tears away from her face. Alfred chuckled and squeezed her shoulders. "You have nothing to apologize for, Ally. Sometimes you just need a shoulder to cry on." he whispered into her ear and smiled at her.

Allyson just laughed and sat up. She looked at her watch and rubbed away the last of her tears. "I guess I should be going. I promised Jim I'd come by and visit him this morning before things start to get hectic about the Batman's return." she said, getting up and smoothing the wrinkles from her shirt.

"Ally, never be ashamed to let your emotions out every once and a while. Maybe it's not such a bad thing that you felt you could tell Officer Blake everything. In my own opinion, I thought he was a very attractive young man." Alfred said, causing Allyson to blush and laugh.

"Thank you, Alfred." she said, giving him a hug and then leaving the living room. Alfred sighed and went down to the bat cave to help Bruce with whatever scheme he was coming up with.

Allyson made her way into the hospital with a huff. She had been swarmed by paparazzi as soon as she got out of her car. The security guard at the door helped her get through the crowd and into the building.

Allyson smiled and waved at the older women from the previous day at the reception desk. The older woman smiled and nodded at the Wayne girl and went back to listening to what a younger nurse was saying.

Allyson stopped outside of Jim's room and knocked three times. She heard the Commissioner call for her to come in. She opened the door to find Jim sitting up in bed and Peter Foley sitting in the chair next to the bed.

"Ally! I was wondering when you were going to show up." he smiled and his annoyed expression from moments ago vanished. Peter Foley scowled at her as she sat down in the chair on the other side of the bed.

"If you could give us a moment." Jim said to Foley. Foley made an annoyed face and got up to leave the room. As soon as the door shut behind Foley, Jim sighed. "I can't imagine what the city will go to when he takes over. He doesn't have the same..." Jim started, but then stopped mid-sentence.

"The same passion for your city." Allyson finished for him.

Jim looked at her and smiled warmly, placing his hand over hers. "The same passion." he repeated. Allyson gave Jim's hands a squeeze and smiled warmly at him. "He's back." he said plainly, taking off his glasses and massaging the bridge of his nose.

"Might not be such a bad thing." she said, dropping her gaze. She knew that if he looked into her eyes, he would see that she was lying. Ever since she was a little girl, he could tell she was lying just by looking into her eyes.

"Maybe you're right." Jim said, putting his glasses back on and looking out the window.

"You can come back in, Foley." Jim called, causing Allyson to jump a little. A second later the door opened and Foley came back into the room. "You shouldn't eavesdrop on other peoples conversations." Jim said sternly as Foley sat back in the seat he was sitting in before Jim had asked him to leave the room.

"Sorry Commissioner. Was just worried about your safety." Foley said boldly. His face didn't show any sign of shame at listening in on Allyson and Jim's conversation, but his eyes betrayed him.

All three of the room's occupants looked up when there was a knock on the door and Officer Blake cam in. Allyson stood and said goodbye to Jim, telling him that she would come and visit him the next time she got the chance. She didn't bother saying anything to Foley as she left and nodded at Blake before leaving the room.

"Can we help you, officer?" Foley asked, scowling. He didn't looked pleased. "John Daggett's body was found in a dumpster an hour ago," Blake reported. "I thought you might like to know."

Jim eyed him curiously. "Why?"

"Because Daggett's name is all over the permits I pulled to map the tunnels under Gotham." He handed Jim a stack of files, the relevant documents flagged with Post-Its. Foley gave Blake the evil eye, but the young officer ignored him and spoke directly to Jim instead.

"MTA maintenance, sewer construction..." Jim looked at Foley. "Where did you get to with the tunnel searches?"

"Remind me to tell the detail to keep the hotheads out," Foley muttered, glaring at Blake. Then he turned back to Jim. "We've had teams down there, but it's a huge network."

"Get more men," Jim ordered. "Work a grid. I want him found-"

"Yeah, yeah. The masked man," Foley said. But he made it sound as if it was low on his list of priorities, especially now that Batman was back. "We're on it," he added. Jim leafed through the pages and eying them hungrily.

"This is good work," he told Blake, looking up from the files. "Loose the uniform. You're working for me now." He cast a sideways glance at Foley. "We could use some hotter heads around here."

Foley purpled with suppressed anger, but kept his mouth shut. "This could just be coincidence," Blake hedged. Although thrilled by the promotion, he was acutely aware of the responsibility the Commissioner had just placed on him. He didn't want to inadvertently steer the Commissioner in the wrong direction.

"You're a detective now, son," Jim said. "You're not allowed to believe in coincidence anymore." Blake tried not to grin in front of Foley. "You're first responsibility is to protect Allyson Wayne. She may come in handy soon." Jim told him, setting the papers down on the table next to his bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Third Person POV**

Allyson glanced at her watch and sighed. She still had 20 minutes till she was supposed to meet with Officer Blake. Well, Detective Blake now. She wasn't ashamed that she had listened in on what had gone on in the room after she had supposedly left.

After she had left after she heard Jim promote Detective Blake. She didn't care to hear anything else after that. Luckily, the paparazzi had left before she did and she made it to her car with no problem.

She parked her car behind the police station and walked to the front of the building. She sat on the front steps of the building and waited. A few of the officers going in and out of the building stopped to ask if she needed anything, but she just smiles and told them she was waiting for someone.

A few minutes later, a squad car pulled up next to the building and the passenger window rolled down. "Need a ride?" came a deep voice from the driver's seat. Allyson looked up to see Officer Blake sitting in the driver's seat with a sheepish grin.

Allyson returned his sheepish grin. She got up from her seat on the steps and walked over to the car. "You know, I was always told not to get into cars with a stranger."

"Well, one, this is a police car, and two, I'm a detective, not a stranger." he said, laughing. "You make a good point." she grinned and got into the passenger seat. "So, detective now?" she asked as they pulled away from the station.

"Yeah. Commissioner Gordon promoted me earlier. Just after you left." he said, smiling a little. "Well, congratulations." Allyson said, looking out the window. "Detective, where are we going?" she asked, turning to look at the detective. "You'll see. And call me John." he said, glancing at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John pulled the patrol car off the road and parked it. "I wanted to show you something. Something that might make you see my reasoning." he said, getting out of the patrol car. Allyson followed him.

John had drove them onto one of the bridges. Allyson stayed quiet as she followed John to the side railing. The view from where they stood gave a wonderful view of Gotham. And at the very center, she could see Wayne Tower.

"This city needs someone. Someone to take it out of the rut that it's gotten into." John said, leaning against the railing. From this view, they could see every part of Gotham, good and bad. "I understand where you're coming from. I just don't want anything to happen to my dad." Allyson said, leaning next to John.

"Look, Ms. Wayne, I'll-"

"Call me Allyson." she said, cutting him off. He looked at her and smiled. "I mean, I just don't normally like it when people are so formal with me." she elaborated, blushing. John just laughed and nodded.

"Okay, Allyson. I'll do my best to make sure nothing happens to your father. I can't make any promises, but I will do everything in my power." he told her, looking into her eyes. He could see trust in them, but he could also see that she was suppressing that trust.

"Okay." she said after a moment of silence. "I'll take your word."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They spent the next hour just talking. Small talk, but talk nonetheless. As the sun started to set, John gave Allyson a ride back to the station.

"If you're going to visit the Commissioner tomorrow, I'd be glad to give you a ride. I'm headed up that way tomorrow anyway. I can pick you up if you'd like." he told her as she got out of the patrol car.

"Thanks. That's be great. What time?" she asked, shutting the door and leaning against it so she could still talk with John. "How about noon?" he asked. Allyson smiled. "Sounds great. You can pick me up in front of the mansion. I'll be waiting." she told him and left before he could say anything.

John watched as she walked around the back to where he assumed she had parked her car. He watched her drive down the street. He groaned and hit his head against the steering wheel. "I can't believe after 8 years, I _still_ have a crush on her!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven  
Third Person POV  
For the next week, John would drive Allyson to the hospital to see the Commissioner. Sometimes after they left the hospital, they would go back to the bridge and talk. Then he would take her home. They learned a lot about each other and became close friends.

John was leaning against the railing of the bridge while Allyson had jumped up and was sitting on the railing. They were talking about the teachers they liked best in high school and who they thought deserved to be fired the first chance available before they decided it was time to leave.

"Do you want to get some coffee, maybe?" John asked nervously. He couldn't tell where this burst of confidence came from, but he liked it. Allyson smiled up at him. "I'd love to." she said softly, a light blush gracing her cheeks

John smiled back and offered her his arm. His smile only grew when she giggled and took his arm.

"If it's not too personal of a question, why'd you leave town? Everyone was surprised when the news hit that you'd left the country." John asked, sitting across from the Wayne girl in a small cafe not too far from the police station.

"I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't sit there and watch my father fall apart." she told him, refusing to look up at him and let him see the hurt in her eyes for her father. "He's the only family I have left. That's why I came back. I thought I might be able to help him. Let him know the whole world hasn't gone as dark as he thinks it has." she said, finally looking up at him.

He could see all the sadness that had built up over the years in her eyes. He wanted to pull her into a hug and tell her everything was going to be okay and that she wasn't alone. Instead, he looked down into his cup of coffee and sighed.

"I guess it's not all bad. Things could be a lot worse." she said, giving out a half hearted laugh. "Yeah, I guess it could." John said lowly.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before John broke the silence. "Where did you go when you left?"

Allyson looked up at him and smiled. "I went back to Athens, where I was born. I was hoping to find out more about my mother's side of the family. All I found was that she had been orphaned at 13, had no other family besides her parents, and met my father when she was 17." she told him.

John listened as she told him about all of the beautiful architecture that was there and how nice everyone was.

"I only spent about a month there. I'd love to go back someday." she told him and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at how happy and excited she seemed while talking about her trip back to her birth country.

"What about you? What do you want to do in the future?" she asked, running her fingers absently over the rim of her cup. "Well, for now, I guess I'm just happy being a cop." he said. Allyson just smiled and looked up at him.

"I thought you were a detective now?" she teased. John laughed and took a drink of his coffee. "True. This job is nice and it has some...nice perks." he said, blushing a little.

"What kind of perks?" she asked, grinning as she took a sip of her coffee. She was having fun watching him blush. She knew that Jim had ordered John to keep an eye on her. She'd have to be a complete moron to think he wouldn't.

"Um, well, like the Commissioner putting me in charge of keeping an eye on you." he said, dropping his head to hide his growing blush.

"So Jim did give you orders to look out for me." Allyson said, bitting her lip to keep her smile from growing. "Well, you can keep following your orders." she said. John looked up then. "What?" he asked confused.

"You can follow your orders by making sure I get home safely." she said, smiling at him. John smiled back and finished the last of his coffee. "I'd love to make sure you get home safely, Ms. Wayne." he said, standing up.

Allyson glared at him and then laughed, drinking the last of her coffee before getting up also.

They pulled up to the Wayne manor and John helped her out. "So you're not mad at Gordon for having me watch over you?" John asked, looking down at her. Allyson blushed and shook her head.

"Nope. Because now I have an excuse to see you all the time." she said, standing up to kiss him on the cheek and then going inside before he could register what she had done and say something.

John walked back to his squad car with a smile on his face. Just as he was about to put his seatbelt on, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out, he smiled to himself again.

Thanks for taking me to coffee.  
I'll see you tomorrow at noon.  
Your place. Don't be late!  
-Allyson

John laughed at her bad joke and put his phone back in his pocket and went back to the police station.

A/N: I know I haven't updated in a while and I feel terrible about it, but I've had a hard time writing anything. I hate to do this, but I'm putting this (and all my other stories) on hiatus until I can get back into the swing of writing. Thank you for sticking with me for this long and I know how much it bugs me when people don't update. I'm sorry and I hope you all can forgive me. Please review and let me know what you think. Reviews help me write faster.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: An update! Yay! Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Eight**

**Third Person POV**

Allyson stood against the door and felt like she was going to squeal. She had been waiting for an opportunity to show John how she felt for days now. She just hoped she hadnʼt come on too strong. "You look cheery." came a voice from behind her, causing her to jump. She spun around to see Alfred standing behind her. She looked at him skeptically and moved away from the door. "Iʼm not cheery." she defended, trying to remove the smile and blush from her face.

"Oh yes you are. I can see it in your eyes. Not to mention I just saw your little stunt outside with Detective Blake." he said grinning. Allysonʼs eyes went wide. "Dad hears nothing about this. You saw nothing. I donʼt need him becoming the protective father." she told Alfred. Alfred chuckled and nodded his head. "Donʼt worry, Ally. Iʼll keep your crush on the detective strictly between us." he told her and went down the hall. Allyson let out a breath and went up to her room.

The next day, Allyson pulled up outside Johnʼs apartment building and looked at the clock on the radio. She showed up 15 minutes late and was becoming a nervous reck. She got out of her car and made her way up to Johnʼs apartment as fast as she could. She could feel her cheeks burn as she knocked on his door and waited for him to answer. A minute later, John answered the door with a smirk. "Donʼt be late, huh?" he asked. Allyson blushed even deeper and laughed nervously. He motioned for her to come in and closed the door behind both of them. Allyson stood there nervously and started fidgeting with her hands.

"Is everything okay?" John asked, causing Allyson to jump and look at up at him. "Yeah. Everythingʼs fine. Iʼm sorry Iʼm late. I had a little hold up at home." she said, laughing nervously and pushing her glasses up. "Donʼt worry about it." he said, slightly worried about her attitude. He wondered if she was worried about last night. "Allyson, I-" he started, but Allyson just shook her head and stopped him. "I wanted to give you this." she said, reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out a wrapped package. John just looked at her and took the package. "Whatʼs this?" he asked. "Itʼs your birthday. Just open it." she said, leaning up against the back of his couch.

John unwrapped the gift to find a velvet box. He looked up at her again and opened it. Inside was a gold pocket watch. John looked up at her confused. "It belonged to my grandfather. It was saved from the mansion before it burned 9 years ago, along with my grandmotherʼs pearls." Allyson said sheepishly, looking down at the floor. "Allyson, I canʼt take this. Itʼs a Wayne family heirloom." he said, looking at her. Allyson looked up at him and smiled. "If I tell you something, do you promise not to laugh?" she asked, fidgeting with her hands again.

John nodded and waited for her to continue. "In high school, I had the biggest crush on you. I always wanted to go up to you and talk, but I was just nervous. Not to mention all the pressure I was under with being the last Wayne at the time." she said, blushing a deep red and refusing to look up at John. John just stood there dumbfounded and speechless. He would have never thought that the richest girl in school would have liked an orphaned nobody like him. "Allyson, I-" he started, but stopped. He had no idea what to say.

Instead of saying anything, he put the pocket watch back in the case and set it on the kitchen counter. In two long strides, he stopped in front of her and lifted her chin. "You have no idea how long Iʼve waited for those words to come out of your mouth." he whispered and leaned down to kiss her. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and cupped her cheek with his right. He pulled away so both of them could catch their breath and leaned his forehead against hers. "Iʼm guessing thatʼs your way of saying thank you for your gift." she said breathlessly.

John just laughed and tightened his grip on her waist. "I think the confession was much better than anything else you could have gotten me." Allyson looked at him confused. "What do you mean?" she asked, wrapping her arms around Johnʼs waist. Now it was Johnʼs turn to blush. "Donʼt laugh, but I had a crush on you in high school too. I just never had the courage to do anything about it." Allyson smiled and leaned up, "Iʼm glad we have an understanding." she whispered and kissed him lightly. John grinned into the kiss and pulled Allyson closer. Allyson pulled away and laid her head on Johnʼs chest. "Happy birthday." she whispered.

"Are you sure this works?" John asked as Allyson fixed his tie. "You look fine. Trust me." she said slipping her grandfatherʼs pocket watch into his pocket and connecting it to his the button. "There. Now the lookʼs complete." she said smiling up at him. "Are you sure?" he asked, fiddling with the tie again. "Positive." she told him. "You still havenʼt told me where weʼre going." he said, slipping on the jacket Allyson handed him. She just smiled and pushed her glasses back up. "Not even a clue?" he asked, slipping his hand into hers. "Nope." she replied, pulling him out of his apartment. She wasnʼt telling him anything because she didnʼt even know where they were going.

Sheʼd told Alfred the night before about her plan and he had told her he would take care of everything. When she asked what that was supposed to mean, he kept telling her not to worry about it. As she pulled John down to her car, she pulled out the slip of paper Alfred had given her that morning and looked at the address. _5563 Falters Ln. _She had no idea what that was, but she trusted Alfred.

**A/N: I'm sorry for such a long wait and I'm sorry again because it'll be a while before I update again. I'm so sorry!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**Third Person POV**

As Allyson drove, her and John made small talk about what his childhood was like and heʼd ask her what it was like being the daughter of someone as famous as Bruce Wayne. "It must have been exhausting." John said, looking over at her.

Allyson let out a soft chuckled. "Yeah. It was. Everyone expected me to be this proper, spoiled, rich kid when all I really wanted was a normal life." she told him, stopping at a red light. "Alfred did his best to give me a somewhat normal life, but as I got older, I learned that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everyone off was a piece of cake." she said, smirking when the light turned green.

John laughed at this and she smiled. She liked hearing him laugh. "I can agree with that." he agreed. They sat in a comfortable silence as Allyson drove them to their destination. "Are you sure you wont tell me where weʼre going?" John tried asking again. Allyson only laughed and shook her head.

"Itʼs a surprise for both of us." she told him, causing him to look surprised. Allyson laughed again and nodded. "I was talking with Alfred last night and told him that I wanted to do something special. He told me heʼd take care of everything. I have no idea what he had planned." she told him.

Allyson laughed when he looked at her speechless. "Donʼt worry. I donʼt think Alfred will do anything too extreme." she reassured him. John nodded and looked out the window to hide the light blush, causing Allyson to giggle.

The rest of the car ride took about fifteen minutes. Allyson pulled up to what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Allyson raised an eyebrow and looked at John. He just shrugged and got out of the car. When she went to get out, she was surprised when her door opened. She looked up to see John offering her his hand.

"Even if you were driving, it doesnʼt mean I canʼt still be a gentlemen." he said, the blush

creeping up again. Allyson smiled and took his hand as he helped her out of the car.

She locked the car and put the keys into her jacket pocket.

She looked up at John and shrugged. "I guess we should see what Alfred had schemed up for us." she said and laughed when John rolled his eyes, taking her hand in his. Allyson leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling away and tugging him into the building.

**I know this chapter is really short and Iʼm sorry. Itʼs a filler for what's about to ****happen. I hope you all arenʼt **_**too **_**disappointed. Iʼll try and update as soon as ****possible though! Donʼt forget to R & R!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

**Third Person POV**

Allyson was beyond nervous, not that she was going to voice this out loud. She was nervous about what Alfred had planned. To be completely honest with herself, this was her first _real _date. She'd always been too busy for a relationship.

John was nervous too. He hadn't had a date in months. None of his relationships had worked because every girl he had dated said he was "too into his work". He hoped this wouldn't be the case with Allyson. She was different than the others, in his opinion.

They were both brought out of their thoughts when they heard what sounded like soft violin music. Allyson blushed when she realized what Alfred was doing. John looked down at her with a confused look. She just shook her head and continued walking.

They followed the sound of the music and paused at the door before heading inside. "I think I may have to apologize beforehand. I may have underestimated Alfred and his abilities." Allyson said, turning to face John. All he could do was chuckle and he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "No need to apologize. Don't worry about it." he told her.

Allyson laughed and, before he could stand up straight, leaned up to kiss him lightly on the lips. She pulled away and laughed at the blush that crept to John's cheeks.

"You're absolutely adorable when you blush." she said, taking his hand in hers and dragging him through the door.

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Allyson couldn't describe how wrong she had been to underestimate Alfred and his abilities. It was beyond extravagant. When they walked in from the warehouse hall, it was like walking into Gotham's most expensive restaurant. Allyson and John stood in the doorway shocked.

The room was large, big enough to hold two or three tables. In the center of the room was a round table that was set for two with assortments of flowers in the middle. The lights were turned off and there were wonderful smelling candles everywhere which gave the room a romantic glow.

Alfred stood in the corner in his best suit trying to hide the huge smile that was spreading over his face. He had been excited that Allyson had come to him for advice and he was more than willing to set this up. After all, it wasn't every day that Allyson found someone she felt this way about.

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Allyson pulled her car up into the garage and sat in the driver's seat for a moment, a smile forming. She quickly got out of the car and hurriedly made her way to the house. She wanted nothing more than to thank Alfred and give him the biggest hug possible. Everything had gone perfectly in her opinion.

Over dinner, they'd talked about a little bit of everything. He asked her more about her travels overseas and she would ask him what inspired him to become a cop. After she drove him home, she made sure to wish him a happy birthday again and gave him a short, but sweet kiss before he headed back up to his apartment.

She even squealed when she got back into her car over how perfect the night had gone.

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**Allyson POV**

Walking into the kitchen, I wasn't too surprised to see Alfred sitting at the kitchen island with a cup of tea and what looked like a mystery novel. "I'm surprised to see you home." He said, glancing up from the leather bound book. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, grabbing a cup from the cupboard and pouring some hot water into it before putting a tea bag into it. Alfred waited for me to sit down before grinning and closing his book and setting it down in front of him.

"Nothing. Just thought you might be spending your night differently." He explained.

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face before hiding it by taking a sip of my tea. "As much as I'd like to, I'm not the type to put out on a first date." I said and Alfred only chuckled. "If I went by how much time you two have been spending together, I, personally, wouldn't consider this your first date." Alfred said with a grin.

"Well, it's the first official date then." I defended. Alfred chuckled and stood up, his cup now empty. "Thank you, Alfred. What you did tonight meant the world to me." I said, putting my own cup down before standing up. Before he could answer, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him for all I was worth. "You don't have to thank me for anything, kitten. All I want is to see you happy. I could see the difference in your personality when you were with Officer Blake. It was a good change. A change I wish your father could achieve." Alfred said into my hair and hugging me back.

I pulled away and wiped the few tears that had fallen from Alfred's cheekbones, giving him my own sad smile that let him know I understood completely what he meant. I leaned up and kissed Alfred's cheek before saying goodnight and heading upstairs after the long day.

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Despite the wonderful day I'd had with John, what Alfred had said in the kitchen made it difficult to get any sleep. I hoped and prayed that one day my dad would be able to get over Rachel and be able to go on with his life. I hoped that one day he would completely give up the Batman. I knew these were all unlikely to happen, giving how far deep he was in now, but that didn't mean I couldn't hope that he'd realize it would one day be the death of him.

**A/N: I'm really looking forward to seeing what yo guys think of this chapter! I'm excited for the next one as well, but it might take me a while to finish. Please R&R and let me know what you guys thought!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

**Third Person POV**

Allyson woke up the next morning feeling more tired than she probably should have. She knew something was up and that something was going to happen. She just didn't know what. Glancing at the clock, she groaned and rolled out of bed. She went over to her dresser and pulled out what she wanted to wear for the day. It was starting to get colder out and it was finally cold enough to wear a sweater without looking like a moron. She picked out a red sweater and a pair of light blue jeans.

Tossing the clothes onto the bed, she went into the bathroom and took a rather long shower, letting the hot water wash away all the stress of everything that'd been going on.

Thirty minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom and started getting dressed. After slipper her converse on, she made her way through the quiet house. She stopped outside her father's bedroom and contemplated going inside to talk with him, but decided it would probably only cause an unwanted conflict that Alfred would have to diffuse.

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"What do you mean you're leaving?" Allyson asked, her voice a little above a whisper as she looked at the man she'd looked up to her whole life. "Ally, I can't do this anymore. Your father is running himself into the grave. I buried his parents, but I'm not about to bury him. I advise you do the same, kitten. Get out before it's too late." Alfred said, his eyes welling up with tears.

"Alfred, I-"she began, but stopped. She couldn't say that she couldn't just run out on her father. That would be the biggest lie she would ever tell. She'd already run out on him before, when he needed her most. If she left now, it wouldn't be any different than when she left before. She wasn't about to defend that leaving the last time was right, but she wasn't going to stay around and watch her father fall as far as he did.

"Maybe you're right." She whispered, looking at the ground as she realized that this time her father would only let himself fall to the lowest and would probably end up dead if he didn't stop. "Ally, I'm not telling you to abandon your father. I'm only advising you to distance yourself." Alfred told her, pulling her into a tight hug. Ally buried her face into his shoulder as she felt tears begin to flow and wrapped her arms around the older man.

"I'm sorry for leaving you behind, but remember that I'll always be there if you need me. I'll always be just a call away." Alfred whispered into her hair, hugging her tighter to himself.

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"I keep trying to justify it by saying that he abandoned me when I was little, but I still feel guilty just thinking about leaving him again." Allyson said, leaning against the railing of the bridge as cars whizzed past. "Well, you're always welcome to stay with me. You can even have my room and I'll sleep on the couch." John said with a smile, causing Allyson to laugh. She ended up telling Alfred she needed some time to think about what she should do and ended up at John's.

He ended up dragging her to the first place they had actually become friends and asked her why she looked like her world was being torn apart. Allyson ended up breaking down and telling him everything and hoped that he wouldn't think less of her. "Thanks, but I couldn't intrude on you like that. I'll figure something out." She said, hugging his jacket closer to her when a gust of wind blew past.

"Nonsense. If you decide that you're going to leave, you're coming to stay with me. No arguments." He told her, wrapping his arms around her to protect her from the cold and rested his head on top of hers. Allyson chuckled and nodded. "Alright. If you insist." She said, smiling when he gave her a light squeeze.

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Later that day, Allyson couldn't help the tears that streamed down her face after what she'd heard Alfred confess to burning Rachel's letter to her father. She'd known about it and had sworn that she would never tell her dad because she knew it would tear him apart if he knew Rachel had chosen Dent over him. She knew she could stay in the manor anymore and sent John a text saying that she was going to take him up on his offer.

She couldn't help but notice that as she was putting clothes into one of her two bags that her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

An hour later she found herself sitting on John's couch, crying into his shoulder. She kept telling herself that what she was doing was for his own good, but her emotions were telling her another thing. John waited patiently and held her while she cried, rubbing soothing circles on the small of her back.

**A/N: Please R&R! I'm really excited about where this is headed.**


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